Celebrating International Museum Day: Visit the best museums in Barcelona for free!

If you are one of those who believe that culture is priceless and that you can never know too much, it might be your lucky day today, 18th May, as we celebrate the International Museum Day, and we do it, as it is actually called, internationally. So, if you happen to be in Barcelona in the next few days, take pen and pencil and note down, you have an appointment with culture today!

INTERNATIONAL MUSEUM DAY: WHAT SHOULD YOU BE AWARE OF?

The International Museum Day takes place every 18th May since 1977. Once a year, culture has, eventually, the leading role. It is the ideal occasion to visit the museums opening with an appealing activity offer, to make us conscious of how important these institutions have been to our society’s development.

The whole world celebrates this initiative thanks to the International Committee of Museums (ICOM), whose purpose is to make people aware of the museums’ role in our society. Every year, the organization selects a particular theme for celebrating the DIM. For 2016, the event will be on the topic ‘Museums and Cultural landscapes’ highlighting the existing link between museums and cultural heritage and the idea of the museums as local centers for an active protection of our cultural landscape. Isn’t it interesting? That’s why, from Hostemplo, we would like to underline the calendar for the upcoming days in Barcelona.

CULTURE OPEN DAY

The most popular event on this day is the open day for museums, with free entrance. Many of these museums also offer special activities such as historical role-plays, conferences, guided tours, concerts and workshops. What’s going on in Catalonia?
In Catalonia, there are 114 museums, which means a total of 225 museum facilities and 389 collections of a variety of themes open to the public. Museums of art, archeology and history, author museums, ethnology, paleontology, ceramics, zoology, and cinema or design ones… Nothing better than this video to sum them up!

OUR SCHEDULE PROPOSAL

What would you rather go for? What do you feel like today? At Hostemplo we are in a Gaudí, modernist and very trendy mood, so we have the following suggestions for you:

GAUDÍ HOUSE MUSEUM

The Gaudí House Museum was the residence of the architect Antoni Gaudí i Cornet (1852-1926) from 1906 to 1925. After Gaudí’s death, the house was acquired and occupied by private owners. Years later, on 28 September 1963, the site opened to the public as the Gaudí House Museum.
Since 1992, the house has been owned by the Construction Board of La Sagrada Família Foundation, which, in line with its goal of disseminating Gaudí’s life and work, has refurbished the building to evoke the period when the architect lived there, as well as exhibiting furniture and other objects that he designed.You can visit it for free on the museums day! Want more information? Here you have all the details.

MMBCN

And after visiting the father of Catalan modernism, what about visiting the Museum of Modernist Barcelona? It is the only one in Europe specialized in Catalan modernism; you cannot miss it!

The MMBCN collection includes a wide range of pieces, which form part of Catalonia’s rich artistic heritage, all framed in a time of crucial cultural importance to the city of Barcelona; a historical moment in which a fruitful search for its own cultural identity and symbols was ignited. Thanks to strong industrialization and contacts with the rest of Europe, craftsmen’s jobs were revitalized and elevated to an art form, and an increasingly rich society began acquiring objects of singular elegance and design, bestowing a personal touch on a whole range of artistic expressions. The museum translates and displays not only the individual beauty of these pieces, but also provides a historical and social context which throws open a beautiful window onto the past. Again, you can’t miss it! Opening times, admissions and activities, here. .

MACBA

The Museum of Contemporary Art of Barcelonais one of the must-see in order to be up-to—date with regards to contemporary culture. The MACBA collection is the central axis of the museum and allows to explore the course of the fundamental lines of contemporary artistic creation since the second half of the 20th century. The base of the MACBA collection consists of over 5.000 works, created between the late 50s and nowadays.

Located in the very heart of Barcelona, at el Raval, just beside CCCB CCCB, which is another must-visit for today’s program.

THE NIGHT OF MUSEUMS

On the occasion of International Museums Day, we also have the museums’ night, taking place on Saturday 21st May. So if you cannot make it today, there is no excuse for the weekend!

From 19:00 on Saturday, museums let their doors open, for free, inviting you to know their collections in a different way: at night! From the Port of Barcelona to Tibidabo and from Besòs to Llobregat, there will be a total of six tours and over eighty centers in Barcelona, Badalona, Cornellà, Espluges, l’Hospitalet, Sant Adrià and Santa Coloma waiting for you.
Apart from visiting exhibitions, you will have the chance to enjoy concerts, activities, theater, guided tours, workshops and family activities.

This year, the Barcelona Art Factories will also take part in the Museums night. Creation&Museums is the name for the initiative linking every space of art and creation with a museum in the city, to generate an artistic production in relation to the topic of the museum or heritage element. And it is not the only novelty. Also for the first time, the Gabinet Postal, owner of the Ramon Marull philatelic collection, participates in the night of museums. You must pay attention to the stamps this year, as six of the museums will host great format versions of some of the jewels of the collection. Will you be able to recognize them?

And last but not least, if you want to enjoy Casa Batlló during the night of museums… pay attention! The modernist gem will also be on the list of the celebrations of the International Day of Museums on 18th May and the nights of museums on 21st May with exclusive tours. If you would like to enjoy this World Heritage at night, hurry up! You can participate, only until tomorrow 19th May in a trivial contest organized in the social networks of Casa Batlló: Facebook, Twitter e Instagram. Among all the people giving the right answers to the five questions posed, five winners will be picked up to enjoy the Night of Museums at Casa Batlló. Need more information? Here you will be able to find the answer to any questions that may arise.

And if after all you cannot make it for the appointment, don’t worry! We will soon you tell you how to visit Barcelona’s museums for free on our blog! You will have a chance each month. On the other hand, if you plan to be full speed in Barcelona during these days, we recommend you to have a rest at he best place you can. Let’s meet at Hostemplo? No need to say that if you are looking for accommodation in Barcelona, we’re your best choice! And remember, if you book on our web, you will get FREE breakfast for your first night. We’re look forward to welcoming you!